Recruiting how-to
A step-by-step guide for high school swimmers: the contact rules by division, which coach to email, what to include, a subject line formula, a full email template, a follow-up template, and how to track replies.
Email the coach who recruits your events, from your own email account, with your grad year, your best times with the course (SCY, SCM, or LCM), the meet and date for each, and a link to your official results. Fill in the program's recruiting questionnaire first and say so in the email. You can write at any time, but NCAA Division I coaches cannot reply with recruiting correspondence until June 15 after your sophomore year (grade 10).
Start once you have a school list and times worth showing, usually during your sophomore year. The rules below govern when coaches can reach you. None of them stop you from writing first.
| Level | When coaches can contact you | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division I | Emails, texts, and calls from June 15 after your sophomore year. Official and unofficial visits from August 1 of your junior year. | Email earlier if you like. Expect replies after June 15. |
| NCAA Division II | Communication at any time. In-person, off-campus contact from June 15 before your junior year. | A coach can answer a ninth grader. |
| NCAA Division III | No timing limits on email, calls, or recruiting materials. In-person, off-campus contact after your sophomore year. | Write whenever you are ready. |
| NAIA | No recruiting calendar restrictions of any kind. You can communicate freely and directly with NAIA coaches. | Write whenever you are ready. |
| U SPORTS (Canada) | Coaches and prospects can contact each other at any time until you sign a Letter of Intent or confirm your enrollment at another school. | Write whenever you are ready. A Letter of Intent can be signed only in the 12 months before the academic year you start. |
These rules change often. Check the current NCAA recruiting page or the school's compliance office before you plan around a date.
Silence from a Division I coach in grade 9 or 10 usually means the coach is following the rules. Fill in their questionnaire, keep racing, and send an update after June 15.
Verify the school first. Confirm it still sponsors swimming for your gender, and check the division and conference on the official athletics site. Programs get added and cut, and many schools field a women's team only.
Then pick the right coach from the staff directory on that site:
Use the address on the staff page and write "Coach [Last Name]."
A coach reads your email to answer one question: do your times fit my roster? Give them what they need to judge that in under a minute.
Lead with the facts coaches sort by:
[Grad year] [Event group] | [First Last] | [Best event and time with course] | [Club]
Example: 2028 Distance Free | [First Last] | 1650 Free [time] SCY | [Club Name]
Copy this, replace every bracket, and delete any line that does not apply.
Subject: [Grad year] [Event group] | [First Last] | [Event] [Time] [SCY/SCM/LCM] | [Club]
Hello Coach [Last Name],
My name is [First Last]. I'm a [grad year] graduate at [High School] in [City, State/Province], and I swim for [Club Team] under [Club Coach Name].
I'm a [event group, e.g. distance freestyler / sprint backstroker / IMer]. My best times:
- [Event]: [Time] [Course], [Meet Name], [Month Year]
- [Event]: [Time] [Course], [Meet Name], [Month Year]
- [Event]: [Time] [Course], [Meet Name], [Month Year]
[One sentence on progression, e.g. "I dropped [X] seconds in my 500 free this season."] My results: [link to SWIMS / Swimming Canada / SwimCloud profile].
I'm interested in [School] because [one specific reason: the degree program, the training group, the conference]. I plan to study [major], and I have a [GPA or average] [and test scores, if relevant].
I've completed your recruiting questionnaire. My club coach, [Name], can be reached at [email] and [phone].
I'd welcome the chance to talk about whether I'd be a fit for your program.
Thank you, [First Last] [Grad year] | [Club Team] [Phone] | [Email] [NCAA ID, if registered]
Send each email separately. Change the "interested in" line for every school so it names something specific to that program.
If a coach does not reply, send a short follow-up 7 to 10 days later, and one more after that if it stays quiet. Reply in the same thread so the coach sees your first email.
Subject: RE: [your original subject line]
Hello Coach [Last Name],
I wanted to follow up on my email from [date]. Since then, I [new result, e.g. "swam [Time] [Course] in the [Event] at [Meet], [Month Year]"].
I'm still very interested in [School] and have completed your recruiting questionnaire. I'd be glad to answer any questions or set up a call.
Thank you, [First Last] [Phone] | [Email]
Coaches answer more slowly in summer and during championship season, so give them room.
Most programs post a recruiting questionnaire on their swimming page of the athletics site, often under "Recruiting" or "Prospective Student-Athletes." It puts you in the program's recruiting database, which is where many coaches look first.
Complete every field: every time with its course, meet, and date, your club coach's contact details, your academics, and your NCAA ID if you have one. A half-finished questionnaire reads as half interest.
Keep a spreadsheet with these columns: school, division, coach, email, questionnaire done, date sent, reply, follow-up date, and notes. Check it weekly.
When a school comes off your list, tell that coach. A short, kind note closes the conversation properly, and coaches remember the swimmers who bother.
Liam Donnelly, Streamline Swimming's Director of Swimming, a longtime college coach and former head swim coach at Simon Fraser University, reviews every swim profile. Create your free swim profile. It is free to submit, it lets him match you with programs in our network, and you can request a free consultation with Liam.
Any time. NCAA Division I coaches cannot send you recruiting correspondence or call you until June 15 after your sophomore year. Division II, Division III, NAIA, and U SPORTS coaches have far fewer timing limits.
At smaller programs, the head coach. At larger programs, the recruiting coordinator or the assistant who coaches your event group, with the head coach on cc.
Your best times in your main events with the course (SCY, SCM, or LCM), plus the meet and date for each, and a link to your official results.
The swimmer should write and send it. Parents can help with research, proofreading, and tracking replies.
Wait 7 to 10 days, then send a short follow-up in the same thread, and one more if it stays quiet. A new best time is the strongest reason to write again.
Yes. It puts you in the program's recruiting database. Complete every field before you email.
Create a free swim profile, and we'll reach out when programs in our network could be a fit. Free to submit.
